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Zim fails to meet 30% SADC quota on women legislators
Nkululeko Sibanda, The Financial Gazette
February 01, 2007

http://www.fingaz.co.zw/story.aspx?stid=2352

ZIMBABWE is among 10 Southern African countries that have failed to meet the 30 percent quota stipulated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol on the appointment of women legislators into higher positions of authority, according to a SADC Parliamentary Forum official.

Only three countries, namely South Africa (38 percent), Mozambique (36 percent) and Tanzania (30.4 percent) out of 13 have met the 30 percent quota set by African heads of state at the 1997 SADC summit held in Namibia.

Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Swaziland, Angola, Swaziland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe are lagging behind at 20 percent

Speaking at a signing ceremony for a grant made to the SADC parliamentary forum by the Swedish Embassy, Kasuka Mutukwa, secretary-general of the forum, said the continent still had a lot of ground to cover with regard to the advancement of women to positions of authority.

Mutukwa said the challenge to facilitate the advancement of women will be more pressing because the heads of state had mooted increasing the quota to 50 percent of all leadership positions.

"Since the protocol was launched in 1997, only three countries have managed to attain the 30 percent quota that was set by the heads of state. The task that lies ahead is even more difficult, taking into consideration that heads of state and government are planning to increase that quota from the 30 percent to about 50 percent. If this sails through, it will leave member states and the forum with a lot of work to do," said Mutukwa.

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